SEAWORLD’S 50TH CELEBRATION IS A SEA OF SURPRISES

SEAWORLD’S 50TH CELEBRATION IS A SEA OF SURPRISES

1/9/2014 3:05:00 PM

SeaWorld’s 50th celebration IS a Sea of Surprises

Eighteen-month celebration kicks off on March 21, 2014

at all three SeaWorld parks

SAN DIEGO (March 21, 2014) – SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™ is getting ready for a multi-park celebration to commemorate a key event in the company’s history. The original SeaWorld® park opened its gates for the first time in March 1964 on Mission Bay in San Diego.

SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration will feature a Sea of Surprises™ starting March 21, 2014. SeaWorld parks in San Diego, Orlando, Fla. and San Antonio will share the excitement throughout an 18-month celebration that highlights some of the most memorable SeaWorld experiences.

For nearly five decades, SeaWorld has surprised and amazed guests with unique entertainment, thrilling rides and up-close encounters with marine animals. During SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration visitors will be invited to take part in the celebration through new interactive experiences, shows and pathway performances, even more up-close animal encounters throughout the park and the SeaWorld “Surprise Squad” treating guests with prizes every day.

SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration Sea of Surprises™ Highlights

Each SeaWorld park will feature a new entertainment element as part of the 50th Celebration. While San Antonio will introduce a new ski show and Orlando will debut Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation, SeaWorld San Diego will mark the occasion by completely transforming the park’s arrival experience. The creation of Explorer’s Reef™,which willopen on March 21 for the celebration kick-off, will immediately immerse park guests into an undersea oasis. This massive construction project is reinventing how guests will approach, enter and explore the park. The new arrival experience was inspired by waves crashing over a coral reef, as well as up-close encounters with marine life. Visitors will actually enter the park beneath an immense wave sculpture that is nearly 30 feet tall and 100 feet long. SeaWorld will also replace existing ticket booths with a beach-themed, concierge-style ticketing area that will provide guests with a single location to purchase admission and sign up for tours, animal interactions and dining experiences.

From the moment they enter the park, guests can connect with the sea through multiple touch pools featuring shark pups, rays, skates and delicate little cleaner fish. Encompassing more than three acres, Explorer’s Reef also will include new and innovative retail and culinary opportunities for guests. The multi-million dollar renovation effort will make entering SeaWorld faster and more efficient.

As part of SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration, there will be more surprise encounters with animal ambassadors throughout the day. A pair of Magellanic penguins, a sloth or even a parade of flamingos could surprise guests at any moment at all three SeaWorld locations.

SeaWorld is known for amazing animal shows and each park will have something new for the 50th celebration. Kicking off March 21, park pathways will come to life with spontaneous entertainment. “Bubble Blowout” is sure to be a guest favorite with a fantastical vehicle creating bubbles of all sizes and shapes. Engaging performances with sea-inspired costumes and props will pop up at surprising moments to delight guests throughout the day, like “Splash Dance” and the “Sea Street Band.”

The SeaWorld “Surprise Squad” will roam the SeaWorld parks on a daily basis giving away prizes and special gifts. Guests could receive exclusive access to rides or behind-the-scenes experiences, celebration T-shirts or Shamu-themed merchandise, reserved show seating and more.

To showcase SeaWorld’s commitment to the environment and passion for protecting the ocean, a series of giant sea life sculptures will be displayed throughout the parks. SeaWorld commissioned environmental art group Washed Ashore for a collection of larger-than-life sea-themed sculptures— many weighing more than half a ton. The materials used to create these pieces come from the billions of pounds of garbage mostly plastics— that wind up in our oceans. These amazing works of art point to the urgent need to protect marine animals from such dangers and preserve their ocean habitats. At SeaWorld San Diego (located near Cirque Stadium), the sculptures will depict a sea turtle, a tufted puffin, a trigger fish and sea lilies (sea animals that look like plants, but are related to starfish, sand dollars and sea urchins).

As part of its continuing commitment to new technology that enhances the guest experience, SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration will include new ways for fans to connect to the parks and each other though digital devices. The parks will be launching a variety of enhancements, from interactive apps that provide fun new ways to experience the park to new games and video content.

Starting this summer new shows will offer guests the chance to celebrate the longer park hours. “Shamu’s Celebration: Light Up the Night” is a nighttime Shamu show debuting at all three SeaWorld parks. The high-energy show will include new, original music and production elements, as well as new killer whale behaviors. SeaWorld San Antonio will also launch a new 50th Celebration-themed ski show for the summer season.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™ is a leading theme park and entertainment company delivering personal, interactive and educational experiences that blend imagination with nature and enable its customers to celebrate, connect with and care for the natural world we share. The Company owns or licenses a portfolio of globally recognized brands including SeaWorld®, Shamu® and Busch Gardens®. Over its more than 50 year history, the Company has built a diversified portfolio of 11 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States, many of which showcase its one-of-a-kind collection of approximately 67,000 marine and terrestrial animals. The Company’s theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests. In addition to its theme parks, the company has recently begun to leverage its brands into media, entertainment and consumer products. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., a publicly traded company (NYSE: SEAS). Copies of this and other news releases as well as additional information about SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. can be obtained online at www.seaworldentertainment.com. Shareholders and prospective investors can also register to automatically receive the Company's press releases, SEC filings and other notices by e-mail.